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Special Needs Care Network Data Report

100 private special education school statistics for 2026

The latest federal snapshot returns 1,546 private schools under the NCES “Special education” category. These 100 source-linked facts show the national pattern, every state’s count, and the population-adjusted rates behind the map.

Latest federal snapshot 1,546

private schools returned across the 50 states and D.C. when NCES is filtered to “Special education.”

Primary source: NCES Private School Universe Survey, 2023–24 Population comparison: U.S. Census, 2024 Updated: August 24, 2026

01 See your state

Vermont and Maine lead the population-adjusted state comparison

Map color Schools per 100k children ages 5–17 Color represents the rate. Select a state for its exact figure.
Private special-education schools per 100,000 children ages 5 to 17, by state A geographic map of the 50 states and District of Columbia. Darker blue represents a higher rate. Pointer users can select a state on the map; keyboard users can use the adjacent state selector. Alabama: 7 schools · 0.80 per 100k · #41 of 51 AL Alaska: 0 schools · 0.00 per 100k · #51 of 51 AK Arizona: 33 schools · 2.59 per 100k · #15 of 51 AZ Colorado: 11 schools · 1.14 per 100k · #32 of 51 CO Florida: 201 schools · 5.69 per 100k · #9 of 51 FL Georgia: 38 schools · 1.90 per 100k · #23 of 51 GA Indiana: 3 schools · 0.24 per 100k · #48 of 51 IN Kansas: 3 schools · 0.54 per 100k · #45 of 51 KS Maine: 29 schools · 14.85 per 100k · #2 of 51 ME Massachusetts: 86 schools · 8.04 per 100k · #6 of 51 MA Minnesota: 1 schools · 0.10 per 100k · #50 of 51 MN New Jersey: 107 schools · 6.70 per 100k · #7 of 51 NJ North Carolina: 37 schools · 2.00 per 100k · #20 of 51 NC North Dakota: 3 schools · 2.09 per 100k · #19 of 51 ND Oklahoma: 5 schools · 0.62 per 100k · #44 of 51 OK Pennsylvania: 138 schools · 6.63 per 100k · #8 of 51 PA South Dakota: 4 schools · 2.31 per 100k · #16 of 51 SD Texas: 55 schools · 0.93 per 100k · #39 of 51 TX Wyoming: 1 schools · 0.98 per 100k · #38 of 51 WY Connecticut: 47 schools · 8.12 per 100k · #5 of 51 CT Missouri: 21 schools · 1.94 per 100k · #22 of 51 MO West Virginia: 2 schools · 0.73 per 100k · #43 of 51 WV Illinois: 77 schools · 3.60 per 100k · #14 of 51 IL New Mexico: 4 schools · 1.11 per 100k · #34 of 51 NM Arkansas: 10 schools · 1.82 per 100k · #25 of 51 AR California: 134 schools · 1.95 per 100k · #21 of 51 CA Delaware: 3 schools · 1.76 per 100k · #26 of 51 DE District of Columbia: 4 schools · 4.16 per 100k · #13 of 51 DC Hawaii: 4 schools · 1.13 per 100k · #33 of 51 HI Iowa: 1 schools · 0.17 per 100k · #49 of 51 IA Kentucky: 10 schools · 1.25 per 100k · #30 of 51 KY Maryland: 46 schools · 4.20 per 100k · #12 of 51 MD Michigan: 6 schools · 0.36 per 100k · #46 of 51 MI Mississippi: 7 schools · 1.35 per 100k · #29 of 51 MS Montana: 3 schools · 1.61 per 100k · #27 of 51 MT New Hampshire: 18 schools · 9.22 per 100k · #3 of 51 NH New York: 145 schools · 4.66 per 100k · #10 of 51 NY Ohio: 45 schools · 2.21 per 100k · #17 of 51 OH Oregon: 7 schools · 1.03 per 100k · #36 of 51 OR Tennessee: 18 schools · 1.47 per 100k · #28 of 51 TN Utah: 16 schools · 2.16 per 100k · #18 of 51 UT Virginia: 67 schools · 4.44 per 100k · #11 of 51 VA Washington: 16 schools · 1.16 per 100k · #31 of 51 WA Wisconsin: 18 schools · 1.83 per 100k · #24 of 51 WI Nebraska: 4 schools · 1.05 per 100k · #35 of 51 NE South Carolina: 9 schools · 1.00 per 100k · #37 of 51 SC Idaho: 3 schools · 0.81 per 100k · #40 of 51 ID Nevada: 2 schools · 0.35 per 100k · #47 of 51 NV Vermont: 16 schools · 17.73 per 100k · #1 of 51 VT Louisiana: 6 schools · 0.73 per 100k · #42 of 51 LA Rhode Island: 15 schools · 9.19 per 100k · #4 of 51 RI
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Get the data

This rate makes states of different sizes easier to compare. It is not a count of available placements.

02 Compare every state

Where your state sits in the full ranking

Ranking uses the same population-adjusted rate as the map. D.C. is included for completeness.

Highest rate #1 Vermont 17.73 per 100k children ages 5–17

Choose a state above to place it in the national ranking.

Browse all 51 rows
Share
1 16 17.73
2 29 14.85
3 18 9.22
4 15 9.19
5 47 8.12
6 86 8.04
7 107 6.70
8 138 6.63
9 201 5.69
10 145 4.66
11 67 4.44
12 46 4.20
13 4 4.16
14 77 3.60
15 33 2.59
16 4 2.31
17 45 2.21
18 16 2.16
19 3 2.09
20 37 2.00
21 134 1.95
22 21 1.94
23 38 1.90
24 18 1.83
25 10 1.82
26 3 1.76
27 3 1.61
28 18 1.47
29 7 1.35
30 10 1.25
31 16 1.16
32 11 1.14
33 4 1.13
34 4 1.11
35 4 1.05
36 7 1.03
37 9 1.00
38 1 0.98
39 55 0.93
40 3 0.81
41 7 0.80
42 6 0.73
43 2 0.73
44 5 0.62
45 3 0.54
46 6 0.36
47 2 0.35
48 3 0.24
49 1 0.17
50 1 0.10
51 0 0.00

03 Citation-ready facts

100 private special education school statistics

Every statement below is calculated from the same NCES PSS 2023–24 and Census 2024 snapshot. Use the numbered anchor to link to one fact, and keep the methodology attached.

National patterns

  1. The NCES snapshot returns 1,546 private-school records across the 50 states and District of Columbia when the “Special education” program-emphasis filter is applied. #1Source
  2. The comparison covers 51 jurisdictions: all 50 states plus the District of Columbia. #2Source
  3. The school counts come from the NCES 2023–24 Private School Universe Survey locator. #3Source
  4. The population-adjusted rates use U.S. Census Bureau July 1, 2024 population estimates. #4Source
  5. A school is counted only when the NCES locator returns it under “School Type or Program Emphasis = Special education”; this is not a count of every private school that may offer some special-education support. #5Source
  6. The comparison rate is the NCES result count per 100,000 state residents ages 5–17, not a rate per enrolled student. #6Source
  7. Across all 51 jurisdictions, the aggregate rate is 2.66 listed schools per 100,000 residents ages 5–17. #7Source
  8. Florida has the largest raw count, with 201 schools returned by the NCES filter. #8Source
  9. Vermont has the highest population-adjusted rate, at 17.73 schools per 100,000 residents ages 5–17. #9Source
  10. 1 jurisdiction has no school returned by the NCES “Special education” filter in this snapshot. #10Source
  11. The median jurisdiction has 10 schools returned by the NCES filter. #11Source
  12. The median state-level rate is 1.76 listed schools per 100,000 residents ages 5–17. #12Source
  13. The average raw count is 30.3 schools per jurisdiction, although the distribution is strongly concentrated in a handful of large states. #13Source
  14. Raw state counts range from 0 to 201 schools. #14Source
  15. 5 jurisdictions have at least 100 schools returned by the NCES filter. #15Source
  16. 4 jurisdictions have between 50 and 99 schools returned. #16Source
  17. 7 jurisdictions have between 25 and 49 schools returned. #17Source
  18. 11 jurisdictions have between 10 and 24 schools returned. #18Source
  19. 23 jurisdictions have between one and nine schools returned. #19Source
  20. 2 jurisdictions have at least 10 listed schools per 100,000 residents ages 5–17. #20Source
  21. 7 jurisdictions have rates from 5.00 to 9.99 per 100,000 residents ages 5–17. #21Source
  22. 11 jurisdictions have rates from 2.00 to 4.99 per 100,000 residents ages 5–17. #22Source
  23. 17 jurisdictions have rates from 1.00 to 1.99 per 100,000 residents ages 5–17. #23Source
  24. 14 jurisdictions have rates below one listed school per 100,000 residents ages 5–17. #24Source
  25. The five jurisdictions with the largest raw counts contain 725 of the 1,546 records in the national snapshot. #25Source
  26. The five largest raw-count jurisdictions account for 46.9% of all records returned. #26Source
  27. The 10 jurisdictions with the largest raw counts contain 1,057 records. #27Source
  28. The 10 largest raw-count jurisdictions account for 68.4% of all records returned. #28Source
  29. Florida ranks #1 by raw count, with 201 schools returned by the NCES filter. #29Source
  30. New York ranks #2 by raw count, with 145 schools returned by the NCES filter. #30Source
  31. Pennsylvania ranks #3 by raw count, with 138 schools returned by the NCES filter. #31Source
  32. California ranks #4 by raw count, with 134 schools returned by the NCES filter. #32Source
  33. New Jersey ranks #5 by raw count, with 107 schools returned by the NCES filter. #33Source
  34. Vermont ranks #1 by population-adjusted rate, with 17.73 listed schools per 100,000 residents ages 5–17. #34Source
  35. Maine ranks #2 by population-adjusted rate, with 14.85 listed schools per 100,000 residents ages 5–17. #35Source
  36. New Hampshire ranks #3 by population-adjusted rate, with 9.22 listed schools per 100,000 residents ages 5–17. #36Source
  37. Rhode Island ranks #4 by population-adjusted rate, with 9.19 listed schools per 100,000 residents ages 5–17. #37Source
  38. Connecticut ranks #5 by population-adjusted rate, with 8.12 listed schools per 100,000 residents ages 5–17. #38Source
  39. Minnesota has the #1 lowest positive rate, at 0.10 listed schools per 100,000 residents ages 5–17. #39Source
  40. Iowa has the #2 lowest positive rate, at 0.17 listed schools per 100,000 residents ages 5–17. #40Source
  41. Indiana has the #3 lowest positive rate, at 0.24 listed schools per 100,000 residents ages 5–17. #41Source
  42. Nevada has the #4 lowest positive rate, at 0.35 listed schools per 100,000 residents ages 5–17. #42Source
  43. Michigan has the #5 lowest positive rate, at 0.36 listed schools per 100,000 residents ages 5–17. #43Source
  44. The highest jurisdiction-level rate is 10.1 times the median rate. #44Source
  45. The highest rate is 177.3 times the lowest positive rate. #45Source
  46. Florida, the raw-count leader, ranks #9 after adjusting for the population ages 5–17. #46Source
  47. Vermont, the rate leader, has 16 schools and ranks #22 by raw count. #47Source
  48. 14 jurisdictions have a rate above the aggregate national rate of 2.66 per 100,000 residents ages 5–17. #48Source
  49. 37 jurisdictions have a rate at or below the aggregate national rate. #49Source

One fact for every state and D.C.

  1. Alabama has 7 private schools returned under the NCES “Special education” filter, equal to 0.80 per 100,000 residents ages 5–17 and rank #41 of 51 by rate. #50Source
  2. Alaska has 0 private schools returned under the NCES “Special education” filter, equal to 0.00 per 100,000 residents ages 5–17 and rank #51 of 51 by rate. #51Source
  3. Arizona has 33 private schools returned under the NCES “Special education” filter, equal to 2.59 per 100,000 residents ages 5–17 and rank #15 of 51 by rate. #52Source
  4. Arkansas has 10 private schools returned under the NCES “Special education” filter, equal to 1.82 per 100,000 residents ages 5–17 and rank #25 of 51 by rate. #53Source
  5. California has 134 private schools returned under the NCES “Special education” filter, equal to 1.95 per 100,000 residents ages 5–17 and rank #21 of 51 by rate. #54Source
  6. Colorado has 11 private schools returned under the NCES “Special education” filter, equal to 1.14 per 100,000 residents ages 5–17 and rank #32 of 51 by rate. #55Source
  7. Connecticut has 47 private schools returned under the NCES “Special education” filter, equal to 8.12 per 100,000 residents ages 5–17 and rank #5 of 51 by rate. #56Source
  8. Delaware has 3 private schools returned under the NCES “Special education” filter, equal to 1.76 per 100,000 residents ages 5–17 and rank #26 of 51 by rate. #57Source
  9. District of Columbia has 4 private schools returned under the NCES “Special education” filter, equal to 4.16 per 100,000 residents ages 5–17 and rank #13 of 51 by rate. #58Source
  10. Florida has 201 private schools returned under the NCES “Special education” filter, equal to 5.69 per 100,000 residents ages 5–17 and rank #9 of 51 by rate. #59Source
  11. Georgia has 38 private schools returned under the NCES “Special education” filter, equal to 1.90 per 100,000 residents ages 5–17 and rank #23 of 51 by rate. #60Source
  12. Hawaii has 4 private schools returned under the NCES “Special education” filter, equal to 1.13 per 100,000 residents ages 5–17 and rank #33 of 51 by rate. #61Source
  13. Idaho has 3 private schools returned under the NCES “Special education” filter, equal to 0.81 per 100,000 residents ages 5–17 and rank #40 of 51 by rate. #62Source
  14. Illinois has 77 private schools returned under the NCES “Special education” filter, equal to 3.60 per 100,000 residents ages 5–17 and rank #14 of 51 by rate. #63Source
  15. Indiana has 3 private schools returned under the NCES “Special education” filter, equal to 0.24 per 100,000 residents ages 5–17 and rank #48 of 51 by rate. #64Source
  16. Iowa has 1 private schools returned under the NCES “Special education” filter, equal to 0.17 per 100,000 residents ages 5–17 and rank #49 of 51 by rate. #65Source
  17. Kansas has 3 private schools returned under the NCES “Special education” filter, equal to 0.54 per 100,000 residents ages 5–17 and rank #45 of 51 by rate. #66Source
  18. Kentucky has 10 private schools returned under the NCES “Special education” filter, equal to 1.25 per 100,000 residents ages 5–17 and rank #30 of 51 by rate. #67Source
  19. Louisiana has 6 private schools returned under the NCES “Special education” filter, equal to 0.73 per 100,000 residents ages 5–17 and rank #42 of 51 by rate. #68Source
  20. Maine has 29 private schools returned under the NCES “Special education” filter, equal to 14.85 per 100,000 residents ages 5–17 and rank #2 of 51 by rate. #69Source
  21. Maryland has 46 private schools returned under the NCES “Special education” filter, equal to 4.20 per 100,000 residents ages 5–17 and rank #12 of 51 by rate. #70Source
  22. Massachusetts has 86 private schools returned under the NCES “Special education” filter, equal to 8.04 per 100,000 residents ages 5–17 and rank #6 of 51 by rate. #71Source
  23. Michigan has 6 private schools returned under the NCES “Special education” filter, equal to 0.36 per 100,000 residents ages 5–17 and rank #46 of 51 by rate. #72Source
  24. Minnesota has 1 private schools returned under the NCES “Special education” filter, equal to 0.10 per 100,000 residents ages 5–17 and rank #50 of 51 by rate. #73Source
  25. Mississippi has 7 private schools returned under the NCES “Special education” filter, equal to 1.35 per 100,000 residents ages 5–17 and rank #29 of 51 by rate. #74Source
  26. Missouri has 21 private schools returned under the NCES “Special education” filter, equal to 1.94 per 100,000 residents ages 5–17 and rank #22 of 51 by rate. #75Source
  27. Montana has 3 private schools returned under the NCES “Special education” filter, equal to 1.61 per 100,000 residents ages 5–17 and rank #27 of 51 by rate. #76Source
  28. Nebraska has 4 private schools returned under the NCES “Special education” filter, equal to 1.05 per 100,000 residents ages 5–17 and rank #35 of 51 by rate. #77Source
  29. Nevada has 2 private schools returned under the NCES “Special education” filter, equal to 0.35 per 100,000 residents ages 5–17 and rank #47 of 51 by rate. #78Source
  30. New Hampshire has 18 private schools returned under the NCES “Special education” filter, equal to 9.22 per 100,000 residents ages 5–17 and rank #3 of 51 by rate. #79Source
  31. New Jersey has 107 private schools returned under the NCES “Special education” filter, equal to 6.70 per 100,000 residents ages 5–17 and rank #7 of 51 by rate. #80Source
  32. New Mexico has 4 private schools returned under the NCES “Special education” filter, equal to 1.11 per 100,000 residents ages 5–17 and rank #34 of 51 by rate. #81Source
  33. New York has 145 private schools returned under the NCES “Special education” filter, equal to 4.66 per 100,000 residents ages 5–17 and rank #10 of 51 by rate. #82Source
  34. North Carolina has 37 private schools returned under the NCES “Special education” filter, equal to 2.00 per 100,000 residents ages 5–17 and rank #20 of 51 by rate. #83Source
  35. North Dakota has 3 private schools returned under the NCES “Special education” filter, equal to 2.09 per 100,000 residents ages 5–17 and rank #19 of 51 by rate. #84Source
  36. Ohio has 45 private schools returned under the NCES “Special education” filter, equal to 2.21 per 100,000 residents ages 5–17 and rank #17 of 51 by rate. #85Source
  37. Oklahoma has 5 private schools returned under the NCES “Special education” filter, equal to 0.62 per 100,000 residents ages 5–17 and rank #44 of 51 by rate. #86Source
  38. Oregon has 7 private schools returned under the NCES “Special education” filter, equal to 1.03 per 100,000 residents ages 5–17 and rank #36 of 51 by rate. #87Source
  39. Pennsylvania has 138 private schools returned under the NCES “Special education” filter, equal to 6.63 per 100,000 residents ages 5–17 and rank #8 of 51 by rate. #88Source
  40. Rhode Island has 15 private schools returned under the NCES “Special education” filter, equal to 9.19 per 100,000 residents ages 5–17 and rank #4 of 51 by rate. #89Source
  41. South Carolina has 9 private schools returned under the NCES “Special education” filter, equal to 1.00 per 100,000 residents ages 5–17 and rank #37 of 51 by rate. #90Source
  42. South Dakota has 4 private schools returned under the NCES “Special education” filter, equal to 2.31 per 100,000 residents ages 5–17 and rank #16 of 51 by rate. #91Source
  43. Tennessee has 18 private schools returned under the NCES “Special education” filter, equal to 1.47 per 100,000 residents ages 5–17 and rank #28 of 51 by rate. #92Source
  44. Texas has 55 private schools returned under the NCES “Special education” filter, equal to 0.93 per 100,000 residents ages 5–17 and rank #39 of 51 by rate. #93Source
  45. Utah has 16 private schools returned under the NCES “Special education” filter, equal to 2.16 per 100,000 residents ages 5–17 and rank #18 of 51 by rate. #94Source
  46. Vermont has 16 private schools returned under the NCES “Special education” filter, equal to 17.73 per 100,000 residents ages 5–17 and rank #1 of 51 by rate. #95Source
  47. Virginia has 67 private schools returned under the NCES “Special education” filter, equal to 4.44 per 100,000 residents ages 5–17 and rank #11 of 51 by rate. #96Source
  48. Washington has 16 private schools returned under the NCES “Special education” filter, equal to 1.16 per 100,000 residents ages 5–17 and rank #31 of 51 by rate. #97Source
  49. West Virginia has 2 private schools returned under the NCES “Special education” filter, equal to 0.73 per 100,000 residents ages 5–17 and rank #43 of 51 by rate. #98Source
  50. Wisconsin has 18 private schools returned under the NCES “Special education” filter, equal to 1.83 per 100,000 residents ages 5–17 and rank #24 of 51 by rate. #99Source
  51. Wyoming has 1 private schools returned under the NCES “Special education” filter, equal to 0.98 per 100,000 residents ages 5–17 and rank #38 of 51 by rate. #100Source

04 Method

What exactly is being counted?

For each state and the District of Columbia, we queried the NCES Private School Search using its “School Type or Program Emphasis” filter set to “Special education.” The locator identifies the source as the 2023–24 Private School Universe Survey (PSS). We collected only the state-level result total, then published the aggregate—not a school directory.

Per 100,000 children ages 5–17 = the PSS result count divided by the Census Bureau’s July 1, 2024 state population estimates for every single year of age from 5 through 17, multiplied by 100,000. This helps compare states of different sizes. The denominator is a standardizing tool; it is not the enrollment population of these schools.

Data collected August 19, 2026; editorial analysis updated August 24, 2026. NCES can revise or update its locator, so rerun the report’s build script before treating a future snapshot as current.

05 Reuse the work

Built for a post, a reporter note, or a story pitch

This source file is available under CC BY 4.0. Please link to this report and keep the scope note when republishing the figures.

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Special Needs Care Network. “100 Private Special Education School Statistics for 2026.” Updated August 24, 2026. https://specialneedsusa.com/data/private-special-education-schools-by-state

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Primary sources

  1. National Center for Education Statistics, Search for Private Schools. We used the site’s “Special education” value within “School Type or Program Emphasis.” Each result page identifies the source as “PSS Private School Universe Survey data for the 2023–24 school year.”
  2. U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 State Population Estimates: Age, Sex, Race, and Hispanic Origin. We sum the total population in each state for ages 5–17.
  3. NCES, Characteristics of Private Schools in the United States: Results From the 2023–24 Private School Universe Survey.
Source: NCES PSS 2023–24 + U.S. Census 2024 Open the full report

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